52 AGRICUI^TURE OF MAINE. 



each of their Fancy and No. i barrels. Some such plan must 

 be adopted to insure a greater consumption and one that will 

 keep pace with the ever increasing production. Maine growers 

 should take hold of this movement in earnest. It is a business 

 proposition, 



storage;. 



A bill was presented before the last legislature asking for a 

 small appropriation to investigate proper storage for Maine 

 conditions. Unfortunately, this bill failed to pass, so that we 

 will have to wait until later, before proper attention can be 

 directed towards this most important question. 



Many of the growers have good cellar storage and have 

 succeeded in preserving their fruit with little loss, until such 

 time as they see fit to put it upon the market. These cellars 

 are usually some distance from the railroad and unless weather 

 and road conditions are favorable, it is impossible to make 

 shipments at the exact time desirable. 



In Nova Scotia large storage houses have been built along 

 the railroad and are operated cooperatively by the growers. 

 These cost but a small sum, — from $3,000 to $8,000, according 

 to the capacity of the house. The capacity varies from 3,000 to 

 20,000 barrels. The fruit is hauled there at the time of pack- 

 ing, put in the cellar and left until ready for shipment. It is 

 then taken to the packing room, graded, packed and shipped. 

 Such storage has its drawbacks, especially during a fall such 

 as we have just had, when the weather was warm and some 

 sort of cold storage such as brine or ice was necessary to main- 

 tain a low temperature. During average seasons, cellar storage 

 has great value undoubtedly, and if houses could be put up at 

 railroad stations in our towns where 5,000 to 20,000 barrels 

 are shipped annually, they would give the growers more inde- 

 pendence in disposing of their product. At present they are 

 almost absolutely in the hands of local buyers, with only the 

 business competition between firms to keep up the price. They 

 have the option of selling to local buyers, or to commission 

 men here and abroad. In the latter case, it takes years to 

 understand the desirable methods of handling, to get an insight 

 into market conditions, and to become acquainted with reliable 

 firms. 



